How many times have you dipped a brush into a powder compact, only to find that you can’t pick up any of the product? And it’s also got that hard, weird surface layer on top? Yep, it sucks and can happen to all of your favourite powder products.

Basically, this surface layer (also referred to as ‘hard pan’) happens when your makeup brush transfers the oils from your face back onto the top of your powder. Wetting your makeup brush to make an eyeshadow more pigmented can cause it too.

But thankfully, you don’t have to keep ditching your half-used pans of powder. Reddit user LAmakeup, posted about how she saved her Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder. Her hack involves sticking some clear tape on the top of your powder and then peeling it back off. Why? It will also peel off that pesky and hard top layer. And it appears to work like a charm! Check out her before and after pictures below…

Another user jumped in to confirm that the hack works. “It really works! Used it on my eyeshadows last week, I’d honestly thought they were done for, and now they’re as good as new,” Reddit user PltEchoEcho commented.